KKK Leader Calls KKK Fundraiser For Darren Wilson 'A Scam'

A Missouri chapter of the Ku Klux Klan is working to raise money for Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and killed unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on Aug. 9. But another prominent member of the KKK is skeptical of the effort, according to The Wire.

Frank Ancona, Imperial Wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan based in Potosi, Missouri, expressed doubts over the branch of the KKK working to support Wilson. Ancona said Chuck Murray, who heads the group raising funds for Wilson, may be leading an unofficial group he started on his own that's not recognized by the KKK, noting that "they don't even have their own legitimate website."

"It’s a scam, he is just trying to capitalize on the situation," Ancona said.

"He basically made up his own name," Ancona said, explaining that Murray may not even be on his birth certificate. "We are a registered organization. We have a charter with the state... Half of them don’t have the rituals for our ceremonies."

Ancona worked with senior members of his organization to attempt to find Murray and confirm his connection to the larger group, but they could not. "No one has ever heard of the guy, I talked to the older members of our group," he said. "There are other legitimate Klan organizations, but this group here sprang out in the last year or so I don't believe he has any members. I think it's just him."

Additionally, Ancona believes Murray's fundraising effort is a scam, because technically, members of the Klan cannot speak with the media, let alone solicit their help with raising donations. All members sign an agreement that forbids conversations with the press. Only highly vetted officials interact with reporters, and even then, interviews are rare.

Ancona has tried to dispel what he calls falsehoods about the KKK in the past, saying "rogue" members give the group a bad name.

“We don’t hate people because of their race, I mean, we’re a Christian organization,” Ancona said in March. "Because of the acts of a few rogue Klansmen, all Klansmen are supposed to be murderers, and wanting to lynch black people, and we're supposed to be terrorists. That's a complete falsehood.”

Murray and his group aren't the only ones to show support for Wilson, who was named as the officer who fatally shot Brown at an Aug. 15 press conference. The Daily Beast did a round-up of places Wilson is receiving support online, including Facebook fan pages and a GoFundMe support fund.

New Audio Allegedly Captures Moment Michael Brown Was Shot

CNN aired the unverified recording on Monday night. Six shots can be heard, followed by a pause, then several more. A private autopsy performed on Aug. 17 at the request of Brown's family found that the 18-year-old was shot 6 times, including twice in the head.